DC : The Template System

Cyborg stepped closer and gently tapped the frail man's shoulder.

Clark flinched violently, shrinking back in fear.

"This… is the strongest man on the planet?" Batman asked grimly.

Clark looked up, hollow eyes searching their faces. "H-Help me…"

"Easy there, buddy. We're your friends," Cyborg said softly.

"Friends…?" Clark whispered, voice cracking.

"Yes," Barry said, stepping forward. "I'm your friend. And Cyborg—he's your friend too."

Max didn't look back. "We don't have time for this. The guards will be here any second."

Without hesitation, Barry lifted Clark into a fireman's carry. His heart ached at how light Superman felt in his arms—like carrying a dying bird. They moved out, Cyborg leading the way as door after door was bypassed. Batman followed, then Max, ever watchful.

"This has to be a rogue operation," Cyborg muttered. "It's too inhumane, even for the government."

Max scoffed, eyes cold. "No. The government is this rotten."

"We should have left him," Batman said flatly. "He was safer in there than exposed out here."

"We need to get him to the sun," Barry insisted, breath short as they reached the tunnel exit.

Blinding daylight awaited at the tunnel's end—but so did something else.

Boats bristling with mounted Gatling guns floated just offshore, surrounded by armed soldiers.

A voice barked from a loudspeaker: "Stand down! You are trespassing on government property. Surrender, or we will open fire!"

Barry flinched. Clark whimpered in his arms.

"This is wrong!" Cyborg growled. "They used him like a lab rat!"

Max had heard enough. As the soldiers opened fire, he moved.

In an instant, a massive blue Susanoo exploded into being around him—its ribcage shielding the group as bullets clanged uselessly off its surface. The construct raised one glowing, skeletal hand and conjured a blade of pure chakra. With a roar of force, it slashed down at the water.

The wave it created surged forward, smashing into the boats. Metal twisted. Men screamed. Chaos erupted.

Startled by the gunfire and panic, Clark—eyes wide and instincts screaming—launched himself into the sky and disappeared into the clouds, fleeing faster than anyone could react.

But Barry didn't celebrate. Instead, he dropped to one knee, clutching his head.

"Barry!" cyborg shouted, moving toward him.

Barry gasped, trembling. His breathing quickened. "N-No… memories… too many… they're… colliding—"

"He's merging with his Flashpoint self," Batman muttered, grim. "The timelines are bleeding into each other."

Max clenched his fists, watching Barry struggle. He felt a weight settle in his chest.

"We need to get out of here," Batman ordered.

Max didn't move for a beat. Then he nodded.

He was getting tired of all the delays. But he couldn't leave Barry behind. Not now.

Because things weren't going like the movie anymore. This world was shifting— And if Barry died before fixing the timeline…

Then Max would be trapped in this collapsing hell forever.

Some time later...

Inside Batman's private jet, the cabin was quiet save for the soft hum of engines and the occasional rattle of turbulence. Barry, Max, and Batman sat strapped in as they sped toward London—the final battleground. The city had become a powder keg, with Atlanteans, Amazons, and remnants of government forces all converging for a last, brutal confrontation.

In the cargo hold, the six children destined to form Shazam were resting. They had no idea what was waiting for them ahead.

Max sat by the window, his expression unreadable. It was his first time on a plane—let alone a private jet—and while he could admit it was impressive, the turbulence still made him a little uneasy.

Flying on my bird would've been smoother, he thought.

Batman broke the silence from the cockpit, voice clipped and focused. "I've been scanning communications from Europe. Intercepted a report from a spy embedded with the resistance. She smuggled this out before going dark."

A screen lowered from the ceiling and flickered to life.

It showed grainy footage—smoke and ruins in the background. At the center of the chaos stood Eobard Thawne, flanked by resistance fighters… and someone else.

Wearing a familiar mask.

"T-Thawne," Barry said, leaning forward. "But… what the hell? Tobi's been with us the whole time."

"That's my clone," Max said calmly.

Barry jumped, startled as Max appeared behind him without a sound.

"I sent him out the moment i landed in Gotham," Max continued. "His job was to track Thawne and kill him."

Barry blinked. "And…?"

Max folded his arms, staring at the paused image of his clone and Thawne standing off.

"Judging from this... it didn't work."

Batman's eyes narrowed. "If Thawne's still alive, he's still manipulating this timeline. And your clone may have made things worse by alerting him."

"He already knew someone like me was here," Max said. ,

Suddenly, the jet's radar blared to life—an incoming threat.

BANG!

Water cannons slammed into the wing, tearing through metal. The entire jet shook violently before it began to plummet.

"I've lost control!" Batman shouted, gripping the controls.

"Hang on!" Barry yelled, then spun his arms rapidly. Miniature tornadoes formed beneath the jet, slowing its descent as it crashed into a scorched field outside London's war-torn remains.

Before the jet even came to a full stop, Max punched through the hull and leapt out. The others followed close behind, shaken but alive.

The chaos hit them instantly—screams, cannon fire, inhuman roars, and booming explosions echoed from the battlefield not far off. Smoke blanketed the sky as if London itself was being devoured by war.

Max stared toward the epicenter of the conflict, then turned to Barry. "I'm leaving a clone with you."

"Wait! We still need to find Thawne," Barry said urgently.

"To release some pent-up aggression, of course," Max replied, a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. A wood clone split cleanly from his body, its eyes already scanning the horizon.

"I'll leave him in your capable hands," Max added.

With that, he jumped off into the distance, landing silently atop a crumbling building that overlooked the battlefield.

From his perch, he saw them—Aquaman and Wonder Woman, locked in a brutal clash in the heart of the carnage. Lightning flashed above them. Tidal waves clashed against scorched earth.

Max crossed his arms.

"I gave you one simple task… and what did you do?" he muttered.

With a swirl of leaves, his clone appeared beside him, looking a bit sheepish.

"Sorry, boss," Clone Max said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I couldn't kill Thawne. Bastard was too fast."

Max didn't even look at him.

"You were busy flexing instead of getting the job done, you useless little shit." His voice was cold. "Begone from my sight. Go make yourself useful."

Clone Max saluted with mock enthusiasm. "Aye aye, boss!"

Then his expression hardened as he activated his humanoid Susanoo, cloaking himself in crackling blue energy and descending toward the battlefield like a demonic war god.

Max remained on the rooftop, eyes narrowed. His true fight hadn't started yet.

Thawne was still out there.

And Max would be the one to end him.

The ground trembled—then exploded in a shockwave of power as the Susanoo slammed into the earth.

BOOOOM!

Everything stopped.

The fighting. The screaming. Even the cannon fire.

All eyes turned to the massive, glowing titan standing in the heart of the battlefield—a towering, blue spectral warrior with four colossal arms, each one radiating raw energy.

Inside its armored core stood Clone Max, eyes cold, unwavering.

The Susanoo raised its four arms in a synchronized motion. With a burst of chakra, it conjured four massive ethereal blades, each one crackling with deadly power.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Its footsteps sent tremors through the war-torn streets of London as it marched forward—straight toward Aquaman.

Arthur gritted his teeth and spun his Trident of Poseidon, readying himself.

The Susanoo raised one of its swords high and brought it crashing down like a falling mountain.

CLAAAANG!

Aquaman caught the blade with his trident, muscles straining, sparks erupting—but the pressure was overwhelming. His knees buckled. Cracks formed in the ground beneath him. With a guttural growl, Aquaman was forced to the ground, held down by raw might.

Before Clone Max could deliver the finishing blow, a blur of red and gold streaked through the air—Wonder Woman.

With a fierce cry, she drove her sword toward the core of the Susanoo, aiming to strike him directly.

But Clone Max's reaction was instant.

One of the Susanoo's massive arms lashed out, backhanding her mid-air.

THOOM!

She was sent hurtling across the battlefield, crashing through two buildings and tearing through a stone wall before disappearing in a cloud of dust and rubble.

The battlefield fell silent once again—staring in awe, horror, and disbelief.

Inside the Susanoo, Clone Max chuckled.

"Know your place."

The Susanoo took another thunderous step forward, blades raised.

The gods of this world were about to learn fear.

End of Chapter.